


How to Kill a Boy on the First Date

by transfixeddream



Series: Slayer 'verse [1]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-07
Updated: 2011-07-07
Packaged: 2017-10-21 02:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/220097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transfixeddream/pseuds/transfixeddream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Jared is the Slayer: the one person in all the world who wields the strength and skills to stand against the vampires, the demons, and the blah blah blah - it's all in the handbook - and he would really, really like to go out with Jensen Ackles.</p><p>Also posted <a href="http://transfixeddream.livejournal.com/102320.html">here</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How to Kill a Boy on the First Date

The vampire hits the ground with a yelp, and Jared spits out blood, wipes off his lip with his sleeve and grins. The vamp looks completely terrified now, twisted up face betraying his emotions, his mouth open and stunned as he digs his hands into the broken up earth.

Jared flexes his fingers around his stake, gripping the wood a little tighter as he takes a step closer. The bastard almost knocked out one of his teeth--Jared's going to make sure he prolongs this. "You know what I hate about vampires?" he asks, gesturing with the stake. The tip's still sharp enough despite getting knocked out of his hand twice, which is good. "You go around sinking your teeth into people, but when--"

Just then the vampire rears up and jumps on Jared, the stake falling out of Jared's hand as he goes down. The vamp hisses, mouth wide and fangs bared, and his breath smells fucking _foul_. Jared grunts, fingers blindly reaching for the smoothness of wood and then he grabs it, plunges the stake right through the vamps heart. His eyes go dull, mouth slack and he stops putting up a fight as the energy drains from him, sagging on Jared.

"Like I was saying," Jared says between gasped breaths, "when _you_ get something plunged into you, you just--"

The vamp crumbles into ash, covering Jared and getting inside his mouth. "--turn to dust." Jared coughs. "Damn it, I've gotta work on my timing." He groans and sits up, spitting repeatedly and shaking the dust out of his hair.

"I really wish you would stop playing around with them. The longer you fool around, the greater the risk of getting yourself killed."

Jared pushes himself up from the ground and wipes himself off, looking up in time to see Jeff step out from behind a tree. "Aw, c'mon, it's not like he ever really had a chance. He still had his baby fat." Jared twists his mouth. "Or, baby... fangs? Whatever. He was barely out of the ground, is all I'm saying."

Jeff narrows his eyes. If his glasses weren't slipping down his nose and he wasn't wearing tweed, Jared might be scared. "That's not the point! There could have been more of them, and--and he was on you! If he had knocked that stake a little farther to the right--"

Jared rolls his eyes. "If you keep going over all the 'what ifs' I'm gonna wish he _had_ killed me."

"That isn't funny," Jeff says, crossing his arms and looking stern.

"Oh, come on," Jared says. He smirks; Jeff doesn't. "It's a little funny."

Jeff just pushes up his glasses and shakes his head, muttering under his breath.

*

"He didn't hurt you, right?"

Jared shakes his head, which seems to do the trick in getting the worry off of Danneel's face. "He totally ruined my shirt, though. And I _liked_ that shirt." He flashes her a smile. "But seriously, I'm fine. It was nothing I couldn't handle. I'm very good with the slaying thing, or so I'm told. But if you're still worried, I hear candy makes everything better."

He remembers the first day they met up at the library to do homework, how they actually discussed schoolwork and not slaying. That was the first and last time he had hung out with Chad and Danneel before they figured out he was the slayer. Maybe "figured out" is a bit of an exaggeration--more like almost ended up vampire chow and there was no way to hand wave people turning to dust in front of your eyes.

"But there seems to be a lot of vampires around lately," Danneel says, and then she's chewing on her lip. "I mean, more than the usual amount."

Chad slams his history book closed. "Man, I've fucking had it with history. Why do I need to know shit that happened four hundred years ago? Only geeks need history." He looks at Jeff. "No offense."

"None taken," Jeff says sourly as he picks up a pile of books to move. He's dedicating a whole section of private shelves to lore and urban legends to go with the sections on vampires, slaying, demons and all the other monster-related crap in his office. The entire upper floor of the library is littered with boxes of books, and it's somewhat disturbing to see how giddy Jeff gets as he catalogues them. "And watch your language, you're on school property."

"Guys, play nice," Jared says. "Danneel's right, though. I've dusted eleven vamps since Monday, which is way, _way_ over my weekly quota."

Jeff frowns. "Yes, it's quite possible. I'll have to consult my books, of course."

Jared snorts. "Okay, you've gotta stop doing that."

"Doing what?" Jeff asks.

"Acting like reading a bunch of musty old books is your idea of a trip to Disneyland."

"Give him a break," Chad says. "Fun probably didn't exist when he was a kid."

Jeff curls his hand into a fist. "I will have you know--"

"Uh, excuse me?"

Jared jerks his head at the sound, because he _knows_ that voice. Jensen Ackles is walking towards them a little cautiously, looking unsure and totally hot. He's wearing a tight black shirt with the top two buttons undone, jeans that look like they were painted on, and Jared feels his throat close up a tiny bit. Jensen's kind of always had that effect on him.

"Jensen!" Jared says, only it comes out as a squeak. He shoves his math book in front of Danneel, trying his best to smile and act cool and calm. He succeeds at neither. "What are you doing here?"

Jensen scratches at the back of his neck. "Well, this is the library, and I needed some books, so..."

Jeff lights up. "Oh! You needed a book?"

Jensen nods. "Yeah, uh, _Jane Eyre_?"

"Right, we should have that." Jeff nods and runs a hand through his hair, flashes Jensen a smile. "Wait here, I'll get you it."

"I could've--" Jensen starts, but Jeff's already gone. "--gotten them."

"Don't mind him," Danneel says. "He just... really likes his books. And doesn't really like people touching them. Or even looking at them all that much."

"Yeah," Jared pipes up. "He's kind of crazy. Oh, but not like, crazy dangerous, or anything! I mean, you don't have to worry about him going ax-murderer on you or whatever. He's just... it's a good kind of crazy. Jeff is nice."

"But crazy?" Jensen smiles slightly and nods. "Okay."

Jared really wishes when the ancients were handing out all that super strength, quick reflexes and increased speed that they had thought to include social skills as part of the deal. "Um. So, are you guys cheering at the game on Tuesday?"

Jensen brightens at that. "Yeah, we are. Are you guys coming out?"

"Uh," Jared says, glancing between Danneel and Chad; Danneel nods helpfully but Chad just stares at Jensen. "Yes, definitely. We definitely are."

"We just love football," Chad says. "Yay, school spirit."

"Cool," Jensen says, nodding, and then Jeff's back with his book. "Well, I might see you guys there, then."

Jared smiles tightly. "Sure thing." He does his best not to watch Jensen as Jeff checks out his book, and then he waits until Jensen's out of the library before hitting his head on the table. "I am the most socially awkward person ever," he declares.

"Oh, Jared," Danneel says, running her hand through his hair. "Yeah, you kind of are. But he seemed to like it."

"He was looking at Jared like he had three heads," Chad corrects.

" _Chad_."

"No, he's right," Jared says, sitting up. "I fucking _suck_."

"Language," Jeff tuts. "Back to the topic at hand."

"Boys?" Danneel asks.

"The increasing vampire activity," Jeff says, turning to Jared. "Perhaps you could ask Genevieve for information on what might be happening?"

Chad visibly perks up at the mention of Genevieve. "Oh man, can I be the one who finds out if she knows anything?" He licks his lips. "I have a couple of questions I want to ask her myself."

Jared doesn't have the heart to tell him that Genevieve would probably chew him up and spit him out, so he just shrugs. "If I see her, I'll ask her. _I'll_ ask her," he says again, and Chad sinks back into his chair, arms crossed.

"I never get to have any fun," he bemoans.

*

During lunch, Jared eats Danneel's peach cobbler dessert while she tells him about the new computer teacher, Miss Ferris, and her determination to convince Jeff to start cataloguing his books on the computer, rather than the eighteenth century method he's got going on now. To say Jeff is territorial of his books is a vast understatement.

"Good luck with that," Jared says after he finishes off the peach cobbler. "Jeff's a technophobe," he points out. He's sure the only reason Jeff even has a cell phone is because it helps him keep tabs on Jared.

"Well she did get him to say maybe," Danneel says sunnily, and Jared raises his eyebrows.

"Jeff said _maybe_ to working with computers? Did she drug him or something beforehand?"

Danneel shakes her head. "Nope. But I think he has a crush on her."

Jared snickers. "C'mon, Danni, Jeff doesn't have a crush on her. Jeff's like--well, he's _Jeff_. I don't even think he has hormones. He doesn't like women, he likes _books_."

Danneel shrugs. "He likes Miss Ferris. He gets all flustered around her and blushes and stuff. It's cute."

"Now you're really starting to creep me out," Jared says, just as Chad sits down. He's rubbing at his cheek and bitching under his breath. "Okay, what happened?"

"I asked Sophia Bush if she wanted to make out," he says.

"And?"

"And she slapped me." He closes his eyes and groans. "Hard."

Jared almost snorts milk, coughs and wipes his mouth. "That's what you get for making a move on the head cheerleader."

Chad scowls. "She so wants me, but she's just scared to admit it," he says. "And at least I _make_ a move when I like somebody," he adds, and Jared follows his eyes to where Jensen's standing, next to a vending machine.

"What, Jensen?" Jared shifts in his chair and feels his cheeks get a little hot. "I don't like him," he says, making Chad and Danneel snort. "Okay, both of you shut up."

"I'm just saying," Chad continues. "At least I have the balls to ask people out."

"You ask people to have sex with you," Jared says. "There's a difference."

"I don't see one," Chad says.

Jared sighs. "I don't even know if he likes me. Or guys, for that matter."

"He's a _cheerleader_."

"That only means something in your narrow-minded little head," Jared says. Jensen doesn't have to be gay to be a cheerleader, he just has to have a lot of school spirit. And look really goddamn hot in the uniform they make him wear. Both of which he succeeds at wonderfully.

"He has a point," Danneel says slowly, and Jared tries not to gape. She holds up a hand. "Not with the gay cheerleader thing, but, Jared, come on. He was smiling at you in the library today. That should mean something."

"Yeah, it means that he thinks I'm socially retarded," Jared says.

Danneel shakes her head. "No, that's the way he looks at Chad," she says, and Chad releases an indignant, " _Hey_!" in protest. "You can't go through high school with a ridiculous crush on the guy and never ask him out."

"Sure I can," Jared says, but he's getting up from the table anyway.

Jensen's still at the vending machine, and it's only when Jared gets closer does he hear Jensen muttering, hitting the side of it and altogether looking pissed.

"Um, hey," he says, and Jensen jumps a little, but he smiles when he sees Jared, and it feels awesome. "You having problems with the machine?"

"Yeah," Jensen says, stepping away from it a little. " _Again_. The bastard just ate my money. Twice."

Jared frowns and presses the vend button a couple of times. Nothing comes out, but he figured as much. "These machines suck. Why don't they replace them?"

"Because Principal Lehne is a cheapskate with the school budget?" Jensen supplies. "You'd have to get the Mayor on his ass before he does anything with the funds."

Jared laughs. "Yeah, probably, but considering the guy's campaigns, I'm betting the Mayor's probably as big of a snake as he is. But, um, sometimes if you just hit it a little--" he says, sliding his arm between the two machines, hand pressing against the side.

Jensen shakes his head. "Yeah, I tried that."

Jared hits it a little too hard, feels the metal sinking in under his palm. Jensen looks surprised when two candy bars fall out. "Guess you didn't hit it hard enough," Jared says, quick smile on his face.

"I guess not," Jensen says slowly, and scoops down to pick them up. He holds out one of them to Jared, grinning. "Here, since you helped me get them."

Jared swallows, rubs at the back of his neck and takes it. "Thanks. So, uh, I was. Um. I was wondering if you were doing anything tomorrow night?"

Jensen runs his tongue over his lips, which is so unfair and very distracting. "Probably going to the Bronze."

"Oh hey, me too!" Jared says in a rush and mentally cringes. "Um, maybe since I'm going to be there, and you're going to be there, we could, like, um. I mean, we could probably--hang out. Yeah, we could hang."

Jensen smirks a little and Jared has this horrible sinking feeling. This is so stupid. _Jared_ is so stupid. Jensen's a cheerleader, which while that doesn't totally say anything about his sexuality, it says everything about his standings in the high school hierarchy. Jared's only the slayer, which in this school where he can't even admit that he _is_ , it's pretty much the equivalent to the gum stuck on Jensen's shoe.

But Jensen nods and says, "Yeah, that would be awesome. I'd like that a lot," and Jared's pretty sure he's about to explode from delight.

Jared nods. "Okay, cool. That's great. Maybe around, I don't know, nine?"

"Yeah," Jensen says, a smile on his face.

*

"I mean, it's not like I can't do my usual rounds or anything," Jared says as he leans against a tombstone, pressed against the back of it because it feels creepy to sit on top of a grave, especially when he never knows when hands will reach up and grab him. He's picking the clay out from under his nails with the tip of his stake, and it's just a boring night. He has algebra homework and he's chilling in a cemetery instead. "Just, it'll be after I dance a little and possibly kissed a little. And I mean, a sexually frustrated slayer is a careless slayer, y'know?"

"Uh, Jared..."

"Maybe we might even make out. Is it socially acceptable for people to make out on the first date?" Jared glances at Jeff. "Wait, why am I even asking you?"

"Jared, there--there are--"

"It might not even _be_ a date," Jared realizes, and he bites down on his lip. He's pretty sure he never actually used the word "date." No, he had said "hang out" which is basically what anybody who are on friendly terms might do. This might pose a problem. "Shit, he doesn't even know I meant date! Oh god, I suck. I suck _so_ much. Why do I suck so much?"

"Jared!"

" _What_?" Jared asks, at the same moment he's tackled by a vampire. He rolls over, gets on top of her and she snarls, snaking one hand around his throat in a tight grip. He fumbles for his stake and sinks it into her, his ass hitting the ground when she vaporizes.

He doesn't get a break because there's two more after her, both of them grabbing him at the same time, claws digging into his arms. Jared manages to elbow one in the gut, the vamp making a short _oof_ as he falls to the ground, and then he turns his attention to the other one, punches him in the face and then kicks him in the chest. Behind him, he can hear Jeff struggling with a third, and he checks over his shoulder just to make sure he's not in any real danger.

Jared stakes the first one easy enough, and he turns to dust with a hiss, and then Jared's leg is grabbed and he goes down hard. He groans and tries to roll over but he can't--the vampire's pressing down on his back. When the vamp grabs a handful of Jared's hair and pulls, Jared has the very unpleasant thought of dying before he actually has a chance to go on his maybe-date with Jensen Ackles.

"No fucking way," Jared mutters, and then he kicks up his leg, grunting when his heel connects hard with the vamp's back. Jared takes the opportunity to throw him off, roll over and grab his stake again. When the vamp comes back at him, Jared pushes it into his chest, smirking with satisfaction as the vamp crumbles in front of his eyes.

He gets to his feet and looks at Jeff, and his watcher is grumbling, wiping dust from his clothes. "You okay?" Jeff asks him.

Jared nods and looks down at the arrow resting in the grass. "What, you only bagged one? I thought you had more skills than that, old man."

Jeff scowls at him and picks the arrow up, then frowns and picks up a ring.

"Oh, of course you get the one with the bling," Jared says.

"Well fuck," Jeff says, pad of his finger tracing over the markings.

" _Language_ ," Jared says, smirking when Jeff glares at him. He sobers. "What is it?"

"I--I can't be sure. I'll have to look it up," Jeff says, pocketing it.

"So, um," Jared says, toeing the grass. "About the date."

Jeff sighs. "The slayer Handbook forbids slayers from forming romantic attachments. You _know_ that, Jared," he says.

Jared wonders if he's going to have to beg. Because he will beg for Jensen, he seriously will. But then Jeff smirks. "But it also forbids all other kinds of attachments and that's never stopped you before, so go on, have fun." He rubs over his face. "Use, um, protection."

"Awesome!" Jared says, then crinkles up his nose. "And also gross. Please never say that last part again."

Jeff's all too eager to nod as he wipes his glasses off.

"So," Jared says as they make their way out of Sunnydale Cemetery. "I hear you've got the hots for Miss Ferris."

When Jeff abruptly chokes on his own spit and goes into a coughing frenzy, Jared just grins and pats him on the back.

*

"What are you even going to wear?" Danneel asks as she pushes through the doors of the library, and Jared just shrugs. There's been a permanent grin on his face since he woke up this morning and he's pretty sure his mother has suspicions that he's taking drugs, but he doesn't care.

"I don't know. I don't really own anything sexy, I don't think."

"You could wear your blue button-down," Danneel suggests. "That makes you look really nice, and it brings out your eyes."

Jared makes a noise. "Yeah, maybe."

"Just as long as you don't wear pink," Danneel continues.

"Why not?" Jared frowns and looks down at his very pink shirt. "I look good in pink."

"Oh, Jared," Danneel says, patting his arm, "you really don't."

Jared's about to protest, but Jeff comes scrambling out of his office in a fury. He looks like he hasn't slept, hair sticking up and glasses skewed slightly.

"Um, Jeff? What's up?"

"The end of the world," Jeff intones.

"You know, someday I'm going to ask you that question and get a, 'Oh, not too much, how about you?' back."

Jared hadn't even been an hour into his first day at Sunnydale High when Jeff bombarded him in the library, proudly proclaiming that he was to be Jared's new watcher and there were many things needing killing around Sunnydale. Jared hadn't even been in the library for a minute before he ran back out. It's a good thing he's built up a tolerance to bad news by now.

"I'm serious. It concerns the ring I found," Jeff says, and gestures them over to one of the large tables sitting in the center of the library. There are at least ten books opened on various pages, and Jared's good mood evaporates when he sees one opened to an illustration of the Master, someone Jared's seen enough drawings of to be sure he'll never want to see in the flesh.

"These vampires are flocking here for a reason, alright," Jeff says, lifting one of the books up. "Legends tell of a powerful vampire, a--a chosen one, if you will. The Anointed One, they call him. ' _And there will be a time of crisis, of worlds hanging in the balance. And in this time shall come the Anointed, the Master's greatest warrior. Five will die, and from their ashes the Anointed shall rise. And the slayer will not know him, will not stop him, and he will lead them into Hell._ '"

"Well that sounds ominous," Jared says. "And this is what's got you worried? Just... figure out when this guy is coming, I'll slay him, and we all live happily ever after. You will live to scowl another day, I promise."

Jeff's mouth twitches. "It's not that simple, Jared. He's _powerful_ \--stronger than any vampire you've ever faced before."

"So I'll use two stakes," Jared quips, something Jeff does not appreciate.

"I did some calculations," Jeff says, clearing his throat. "I believe he will rise tonight."

"Cool," Jared says. "So I'll slay him and then--wait, _not_ cool! I have a date, or... something tonight. I can't slay anybody."

"Reschedule," Jeff says.

"But, you could be wrong!" Jared protests.

"I am _positive_ I'm right," Jeff says.

*

Jared closes his eyes and leans his head back. There's no noise out here apart from the sound of his and Jeff's breathing. "I am positive you were _wrong_ ," Jared says. They haven't even seen a vampire, let alone what's supposed to be an entire mob of them coming to raise their new buddy. He looks up at the moon.

"It's possible that I miscalculated," Jeff says calmly.

Jared rips out a fistful of grass. "You think?" He glances at his watch, groaning when he takes in the time. He could have been hanging out with Jensen for fifty minutes now. Instead, he spent it sharpening stakes while Jeff tried to read by the moonlight. "Can I go now?"

"I was _positive_ \--" Jeff runs a hand over his face and nods. "Fine, go on and have your fun."

"You're the best watcher _ever_ ," Jared says, and promptly hightails it out of the graveyard.

*

Jared doesn't want to risk Jensen thinking that he's bailing on him, even though he is now--he glances at his watch and hisses--an hour late, so he foregoes going home and heads straight to the Bronze, because it's better to have cemetery dirt on his ass than have Jensen give up hope completely.

Only when he manages to get in there, Jensen's dancing with Sophia Bush and laughing, and it feels like there's something caught in Jared's throat. Jensen looks happy and this was so very, very stupid of him. He just--he shouldn't have come at all.

"You look like somebody killed your puppy."

Jared feels goose bumps creep up his arms. He turns around and Genevieve's there, leaning against the stairs in a leather jacket. Genevieve is at least a foot shorter than he is, but she has this way of making him feel tiny next to her. Her hair is down and her arms are crossed, and Jared shakes his head.

"I don't have a puppy."

Genevieve huffs a laugh. "That's cute." She nods in Jensen's direction. "You like him?"

"We had a date," Jared says. "Sort of."

"Doesn't look like a date to me."

He doesn't exactly trust Genevieve, despite the fact that she hasn't proven herself anything but loyal up till now. It's mostly the fact that he doesn't know her phone number, doesn't know her address, has no way to get in touch with her except when she decides to come out from hiding in the shadows. Jared's pretty sure she doesn't mind; actually, he's almost certain that she likes that he doesn't trust her, likes that she can get under his skin so easily.

"Did you have a reason for following me, or are you just here to mock my non-date?"

Genevieve raises an eyebrow. "Touchy," she says. "Thought you just might want to know about some action going down tonight."

"The Anointed One?" Jared asks, then pushes onward. "I will not know him, I will not kill him, and he'll lead me to Hell? Yeah, I got the memo, and it's a bust."

Genevieve's smug expression falters. "What?"

"You--and my watcher--miscalculated," Jared says, growing vastly annoyed in the matter of seconds. Can't anybody just use a damn calendar correctly? "It's not going down tonight. You're wrong."

"I was _sure_ \--"

"Yeah," Jared says, pained. "So was my watcher. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go home and mope."

Genevieve shakes her head. "If the guy bailed on you cause you were a little late, he's not worth moping over. You could do better."

"Oh yeah? Like who, you?" he asks, and feels completely ridiculous when Genevieve raises one delicate eyebrow. Jesus Christ, he's pathetic. "Um, just--forget I said that."

And honestly Jared kind of wishes he were straight, because Genevieve is hot--there's no denying that, even if Jared mostly thinks it in an aesthetically pleasing sort of way--and he can at least talk to her, even if he does still sound like a bumbling idiot at times. But then, he's pretty sure relationships only have a chance at being successful if you know your partner's last name and if said partner showed up longer than to just deliver cryptic, apocalyptic messages.

Genevieve just smirks. "Trust me, kid, I am way too old for you," she says, and then weaves through the crowd and out the door.

Jared takes one last look at Jensen--still dancing, still laughing--and follows her out.

*

Jared's mom is really awesome sometimes, because she brought him in a huge bowl of Cocoa Puffs ten minutes after he wakes up, not even out of bed yet.

"Thanks, Mom," he says, and she just smiles softly.

"Figured you could use it," she says, and then leaves his room.

He's kind of depressed that Jensen ditched him to be with Sophia, but he's not sure if he's actually allowed to get mad at that, considering the fact that he was an hour later than he said he would be. Especially considering "I was camping out in a graveyard because my watcher--oh, yeah, I'm also a vampire slayer, by the way--thought the world might end tonight" isn't exactly an appropriate excuse, even though it's the truth.

So, he mopes. He eats his cereal and then he mopes some more, flicking through the channels on his TV with muted interest and settling on Food Network.

Sometime later, his mom comes in with her hand over the receiver of the phone and says, "Jared? It's for you. He said his name was Jensen?" and Jared's stomach twists itself into knots in the time it takes his mother to pass him the phone.

"Um, hello?" he says.

"Jared? Hey, it's Jensen."

Jared nods, even though Jensen can't see through the phone. "Yeah, my mom told me. Uh, hi. What's up?"

"You didn't show up last night." And the way that he says it, disappointment sounding so clear in his voice--it makes Jared wish that he had ditched Jeff and his stupid duties and had just gone to the Bronze.

"Um, yeah, sorry about that. My mom, she--she needed help with the gallery, and I couldn't get out of it, and I didn't have your number to let you know. So."

"Oh," Jensen says after a small pause.

"Yeah."

"Well, uh, would you be interested in maybe trying it again tonight, then?" Jensen says, and Jared's pretty sure he's about three years too late to jump on his bed because a boy asked him out.

"Yes," he says, maybe a little too quickly, but he doesn't care.

"Yes? Great! Cool, it's a date. Um, here, just in case you can't make it, you can call my cell--"

As Jensen rhymes off his numbers and Jared puts them into his own phone, he makes a resolution. He doesn't care if _the Master_ decides to rise tonight, he is going to spend tonight with Jensen Ackles and Jensen Ackles alone.

*

The music is already going strong by the time Jared makes it to the Bronze. He's twenty minutes early because there is absolutely no way he's going to miss Jensen this time. He orders a soda from the bar and makes his way to one of the couches, and taps a pattern on his leg as he waits.

Jensen ends up coming in a little early, too, maybe ten minutes after Jared sits down. He looks, well, pretty fucking incredible, with a green sweater that fits his body perfectly and tight black jeans. Jared feels a little bit like a disfigured freak even though he's wearing the shirt Danneel suggested, and the jeans that Chad lewdly declared shows off all his assets. He stands up and waves to Jensen, and smiles when Jensen catches his gaze and comes over.

"Hey," Jensen says, smiling as he takes Jared in. Jared hopes the club's dark enough to hide his blush. "You look great."

"Um, thanks. You, too," Jared says, and Jensen upgrades to a grin. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Iced tea?" Jensen answers, and Jared nods and smiles, and moves towards the bar. Luckily there's only five people ahead of him, so he gets Jensen's drink pretty fast, and then he heads back to where Jensen's waiting, arms stretched out on the back of the couch.

"Here," Jared says, and when he sits down he's aware of the mere inch between the back of Jensen's hand and his head. He feels something warm run through him and he turns a little towards Jensen, takes in the soft smile on Jensen's face. "Thanks for giving me another chance."

Jensen takes a short sip of his tea and shrugs. "Thanks for showing up," he says, and Jared tenses. "Shit, sorry, I didn't mean for that to come out like-- _that_."

He sighs, his thumb and finger down the bridge of his nose and shakes his head. "I guess I'm more nervous than I thought," he says.

"I can relate," Jared says softly. He sucks on his lip and then says, "You wanna put your arm back up there?"

Jensen pauses for a second and then a slow smile spreads out across his face, and he nods. "Yeah," he says, clearing his throat. "Yeah, I wanna."

This time when Jensen spreads his arm across the length of the couch, Jared wastes no time moving in a little closer and pressing his head to the back of Jensen's arm.

*

The best thing about Jensen is that despite the fact that he's insanely hot, he's also ridiculously charming and sweet and just _interesting_. Jared wants to sit with him forever, Jensen's finger making curls in his hair as Jensen tells him about growing up in Texas and why California should be ashamed to call anything barbeque. He has a brother in college and a sister in elementary, and once he's done at Sunnydale High he's going to try his hand in sports medicine, do his best to become a physical therapist.

"I think you'd be awesome at it," Jared says. At some point, one of his own hands has found its way to Jensen's leg and stayed there. "You've got great hands."

And Jared honestly can't believe he just _said that_ , but Jensen just smirks and cups the back of Jared's neck with his hand, says, "Yeah? You think so?" and Jared flushes a little but nods.

"So," Jensen says, "I've talked about myself way too much tonight. How about you? What are you planning to do once you get outta prison?"

"Um," Jared says, and he can't think. He's actually never thought of what he's wanted to do after high school ever since he found out he's the slayer, because that's a job in and of itself. "I haven't really thought about--Jeff?"

Jensen frowns. "You mean a librarian?"

Jared shakes his head and points to where Jeff is trying unsuccessfully to weave through the crowd of teenagers dancing all over the place.

"What's he doing here?"

Jared stands up. "Um, can you excuse me for a minute? I have to--I think he's here to see me. It'll only take a second, I promise."

Jeff catches the sight of him and retreats back, heading outside and Jared follows suit, not being afraid to push through the mob of people.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jared says once he's a couple of feet from the entrance to the Bronze.

"You left your cell phone at home."

Jared nods. "Yeah, for pretty much this reason exactly. You're interrupting my date. What are you doing here?" Jeff only shoves a newspaper in his face in response. There's a picture of a destroyed bus on the front, the headline reading "FIVE KILLED IN ACCIDENT" and Jared swallows. "So what?"

"' _Five will die, and from their ashes the Anointed One shall rise,_ '" Jeff repeats softly. "The bodies are at the Sunnydale Funeral Home. The Anointed will be rising _tonight_. Come on, we have to go."

"No," Jared says. "No, not tonight. I--I _can't_ tonight, Jeff."

"Jared--"

"No! I have a guy in there who actually doesn't think I'm a freak, who actually might _like_ me." Jared blows out a breath. "He's funny and awesome and he gave me a second chance after I blew him off the first time, and I'm not bailing on him again. I'm not abandoning the most fun I've had in a long time to go to a damn funeral home, Jeff. No. No way. You said it yourself--the Anointed One was supposed to rise last night, and he didn't. Prophecy's a bust."

Jeff nods, doesn't say anything at all. No lecture, no preaching about the life of a slayer; he just turns and walks away.

"Hey," Jensen says once Jared sits back down. His hand immediately combs through the back of Jared's hair and while comforting, it doesn't help shake away Jared's uneasiness. "What did he want?"

Jared smiles, the first time he's had to fake one with Jensen around, and says, "Nothing, just letting me know I have some overdue library books."

"He followed you to the Bronze to tell you _that_?"

"Yeah," Jared murmurs. "Like I said, he's crazy."

*

Jared's not sure if there's a better moment than this, his hands pressed to Jensen's sides, Jensen's arms wrapped around his neck, and their bodies pressed close together as the music plays. Jensen looks amazing in any light, Jared's certain, and he's all that Jared can smell, invading his nostrils until his head is reeling with the scent of Jensen's cologne, Jensen's shampoo, and _Jensen_.

If it wasn't for the weight of a brick in his stomach, Jared would be positive that he's dreaming right now.

"Hey," Jensen says, and it jolts Jared a little. It sounds so loud in his ears compared to the low hum of the band.

"Hey," Jared says back.

Jensen's face is unreadable when he says, "If you just wanna go back on the couch or whatever, that's cool."

"What? No." Jared says, fingers tightening on Jensen's hips in response. "No, I like it here."

Jensen quirks his lips. "Okay, you just seem... distracted, is all."

"Sorry." Jared swallows and feels pretty much like crap, because he bailed on Jeff and he's no better off here if Jensen can see that. "I'm just--I can't believe this is happening," he says, and it's really not a lie.

Jensen smiles then, pressing his head to Jared's shoulder. "Yeah, me neither."

That's when Danneel and Chad show up and pull them apart, jolting Jared and almost earning Chad a bloody nose. He backs away cupping his nose, saying, "What the _fuck_ , dude!" and Jared tries to collect his bearings.

"What're you guys doing here?" Jared asks, at the same time Jensen says, "What's going on?"

"You'd know if you would've brought your damn phone," Chad says.

"It's Jeff," Danneel cuts in, and Jared feels dizzy at the words.

"What happened?" Jared asks.

"He, uh," Chad looks between Jared and Jensen and shrugs. "Look, come with us and we'll tell you on the way."

"Jared?" Jensen asks. "What's going on? Jeff--that's the librarian, right?"

"Jensen," Jared says, closing his eyes for a beat. "I've gotta bail on you. Just for like an hour, and then I'll be back, okay? Just, stay here, please? I'll be back."

"Jared--"

But Danneel's got Jared by the hand and she's pulling, and Chad's right behind, and Jared shouts, "Just stay here! I'll be right back!"

*

They fill him in on the way to Chad's car: Jeff went to the funeral home himself, got locked inside a room by vampires and the Anointed One is definitely on his way. Jared's hands are shaking at the thought of Jeff being trapped there, at the vampires coming back for him, feeding on his neck and killing him and it'll all be Jared's fault.

Jared balls his hands into fists. "Did you guys bring anything?" he asks as he opens the car door.

"Check the bag," Chad says as he climbs inside, gesturing to the brown sack on the seat.

Jared combs through it, grabs two stakes and shoves one in his pocket. He puts a silver cross around his neck, then grabs the crossbow and a couple of arrows. "When we get there, I want you guys to just drop me off and keep driving, okay? There's going to be major vampage around there and I'm not letting you guys get hurt."

"Hey, screw you!" Danneel says, turning in her seat and pulling the stake from Jared's hand. "We're not letting you get killed, Jared. Deal with it."

"Danni..."

" _Jared_ ," Danneel says back, glaring at him and Jared shuts up.

"Why would he go by himself?" Chad mutters. "He's always saying, 'Oh, never travel alone!' and what does he do? He motherfucking travels alone!"

"He came by the Bronze earlier," Jared says tightly. "He wanted me to go with him. I didn't think anything was going to go down and..."

"Oh," is all Chad says.

*

The funeral home is silent from the outside, and if it wasn't for the smashed in door, Jared wouldn't even suspect there are vampires lurking around inside. He passes another stake and a vial of holy water to Chad and then gets out. He loads up the crossbow and double checks that his stake is still in his pocket, then nods once to Chad and Danneel and they start up the walk.

"I'll go in first, you guys follow," Jared whispers. He takes a quick glance inside, sees no vampires in the immediate area, and then steps over the broken wood and glass carefully. Danneel and Chad follow suit, checking their rears before continuing.

"Alright, where's Jeff at?"

"I think it would be down this way," Danneel says, pointing down the left hall.

Jared nods. "Okay," he says, and then opens a door and looks inside. All clear. "Alright, you guys get in here."

"Jare--"

"Danneel, _please_ ," Jared says. "I want you guys safe. I'll go get Jeff and come back here, and then we'll--" He bites his lip. "Okay, I don't know what we'll do. But just stay here."

Danneel looks about ready to protest but Chad puts a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, Danneel, maybe there'll be a dead body for us to poke."

Jared gives them the crossbow and pulls his stake out of his pocket. He waits until Chad shuts and locks the door, and heads down the hall.

There's no sound throughout the entire place, and it's unnerving; vampires have never been known to be loud, but a crowd of them should make at least a little noise. Jared gets to each door with the thought that it will be the one that's thrown open, that it'll be the one that hides the vamp, but when he opens them, there's nobody inside.

Jeff is in the very last room at all, and when Jared opens it Jeff charges at him, machete in his hand that ends up stopping in mid-air once he takes in that it's Jared.

"Oh, god, it's you," Jeff says with a relieved laugh that Jared shares. "A few vampires came at me, so I, uh..."

"Hid in here?" Jared finishes with a smirk. He chews on his cheek. "I'm sorry, man, I shouldn't have bailed on you like that."

"Jared, you're a sixteen year old boy," Jeff says, like that explains everything. "As much as it pains me, sometimes you'll want to make other things a priority over slaying. Like, uh, boys for example."

Jared swallows. "The Anointed--" he starts, and Jeff shakes his head.

"They must have taken him to the Master."

Jared nods roughly. They took him. The Anointed One's walking around out there, the one who's supposed to lead him into Hell, or whatever the fuck the prophecy said. "Okay, well that's great," he says, shuddering out a breath. "Chad and Danneel are here. Let's go get them and then get the hell out of here."

"You let them follow you?" Jeff hisses.

Jared snorts. "Have you even _met_ Danneel? Yes, I totally _let_ them follow me." He glances down, for the first time noticing the object in Jeff's hand. "You brought a machete with you? Seriously? What were you planning to kill, camp counselors?"

Jeff huffs indignantly and pulls out a stake from his jacket. "Oh, have at it," he mutters, and steps out of the room

The hall's still empty, but Jared's a little calmer walking down it with Jeff beside him. He's honestly surprised that no vamps stayed back as a decoy, but at this moment he can't bring himself to be anything but grateful that they hadn't. He'd prefer not having to kill a bunch of the Master's goons before getting back to Jensen.

Shit, _Jensen_. Jensen is never going to give him another chance again.

Jared knocks on the door, says, "Hey, it's us, let us in," and then there's the click of the lock and the door opens, Chad and Danneel both looking anxious.

"Jeff!" Chad says, grinning and ushering them inside. "You're not dead!"

"Not yet, no," Jeff says.

"Okay, we're going to have to--" Jared stops, holds up a hand. "Wait, one second. Listen."

There's the soft sound of footsteps on tile, growing louder and louder. Jared shoves his stake back into his pocket, takes the crossbow from Danneel and points it at the door. There's definitely somebody--some _thing_ \--out there, and Jared's got a strong feeling that the Anointed One hasn't actually left the building yet.

The door slides open slowly, creaking as it does, and Jared grips the crossbow tighter. The door opens the rest of the way and Jared's one second from firing when Jensen throws up his hands and says, "Don't shoot!"

"Jensen?" Jared says slowly, lowering his crossbow. "What are you-- _why_ are you here?"

"What's going on, Jared?" Jensen asks, stepping a little farther in the room. Chad closes the door behind him and locks it. "Why are you at a funeral home? Why is the librarian here? Why were you about to _shoot me_?" And fuck, he should not be here. There are a lot of places Jensen should not be and this tops the list every time.

"How did you find me?"

"I followed you guys out, heard Chad telling you where you were going. Thought I must've heard wrong but his car was here and, well."

"Jensen, you shouldn't be here," Jared says. "Seriously, you need to leave now."

"Fuck that!" Jensen says, with a fire that has Jared flinching. "I'm tired of answering everything and you not answering _anything_ , man, so you tell me why the hell you're in a funeral home right the fuck now."

"Jared--" Jeff says, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No," Jared says, shrugging it off. He sighs. "Jensen's right. I gotta tell him what's going on. But, first we gotta get out of here, Jensen, okay? We get out of here, we go to Chad's car, and I'll tell you everything you wanna know, okay?"

Jared's ready for protests and he steels himself for them, but Jensen just nods shortly and says, "Yeah, okay." He points a finger at Jared. "But you're telling me everything."

"I swear," Jared says, and when Jensen smiles shakily, he gets this overwhelming desire to just walk over there and kiss him.

"So the Anointed One?" Danneel asks, looking up at Jeff.

"Gone, I presume," Jeff says. "Those vampires who chased me earlier must have escorted him outside."

"Who's the 'Anointed One?'" Jensen asks, and Jared turns to him just as a vampire climbs out of a coffin, snarling, teeth bared.

The guy is ugly in the way all vampires are, face warped and skewed, but he's huge with pale muscles bulging out. He's not wearing a shirt and there's a large, jagged scar across his abdomen, numerous others spread out on his arms and chest. There are tattoos of crosses and vines and knives littering his body, shades of black and colors stained into his skin, and he's _tall_ , towering above them all easily despite the fact that Jared's well over six feet.

Jared swallows, his stomach twisting into knots. " _Him_ ," he hisses.

He raises the crossbow and shoots at the vamp, but the arrow just digs into his shoulder and he grins as he pulls it out, face looking delighted and revolting at the same time. "Guys, get Jensen out of here."

"You are holy, but yet unblessed," the Anointed sneers as he approaches. "I'll suck the blood from your hearts. He says I may!"

" _Now_!" Jared shouts, and it's a frenzy of movement until the Anointed One shoves him against the door and effectively blocks the path for the others to get out, Jeff and Danneel being knocked down in the process. Jared groans and tries to knee him but he can't get in a good shot. The guy's too strong, arm pressing against Jared's ribcage like he wants to smash it in. "Jeff, somebody, stake him!"

Jared manages to get a view of Jensen grabbing a stake and tries to push the bastard off. "Anybody but Jensen," Jared seethes, but Jensen's already coming at the guy.

"Where do I put it?" Jensen shouts, and then the Anointed One pulls back and throws Jensen into the wall, and he crumples to the floor. He doesn't move, and Jared swears he's about to throw up.

"Jensen!" Jared cries out, and then smashes his head against the Anointed, kicking him when he stumbles back. "You killed my _date_ ," Jared says, feels the anger boil up inside of him as he grabs the stake Jensen dropped. The Anointed backs away, smirking, and Jared smirks right back, feels the weight of the wood in his fingers. He lands in two hits, punches the fucker in the nose and listens to the satisfying crack, and then smashes in his shin with his foot, watches as the Anointed One falls on his ass.

"Uh, Jared--" Chad says, but Jared doesn't really hear him, just knows he wants to punch this fucker's face in until it's indistinguishable, until his hands are raw and bloody. He wants to make him suffer for Jensen until he's begging Jared to kill him.

He nails the Anointed in the shoulder as he struggles to his feet, then gets another two punches into his ribs. Jared feels a fist smash into the side of his face and he stumbles back, wipes at his cheek with his hand. He dropped the stake and he has no idea where it's gone now, only sees Jeff's machete lying five feet away.

The Anointed One's humming, swaying on his feet a little. "Your boyfriend burns in Hell as we speak! I can taste his screams!" he sing-songs, and Jared rushes forward, digs his fingers into the bastard's shoulder and knees him in the chest, not feeling a bit of relief when he groans.

"You shut your fucking mouth about him," Jared hisses and slams him into the wall, the Anointed's head breaking through the drywall. Jared uses the moment to slide across the floor and grab the machete before the Anointed starts moving towards him again.

"I'm thinking it's time we change that prophecy," Jared says, breathing hard, "instead of you leading me into Hell, how about you just go there your fucking self," and then he slashes at him, the blade cutting clean through the Anointed One's neck. His body drops, vanishing into dust, and his head does the same before it even hits the floor. Jared falls to his knees in the dusted remains, head hanging, and he swings the machete to the end of the room.

"Jared," Danneel says, and the way she says it makes Jared jerk his head around--just in time to see Jensen stand up.

"Jensen?" Jared says with disbelief, getting to his feet immediately.

"Ugh," Jensen mumbles, rubbing his head and shakily standing up with Chad's help. Jared knows he could be hurt but he can't really care right now, just has to take Jensen into a hug and hold on tight. "Hey, whoa," Jensen's saying, but he's wrapping his arms around Jared's waist. "You gonna tell me what the hell all that was?"

Jared pulls away and swipes a hand down Jensen's shirt. "It's a long story."

"That was a vampire, Jared's a vampire slayer and in general a killer of all things bad, Jeff here is his stuffy old watcher and me, well, I'm just plain awesome."

Jared glances at Chad. "Okay, maybe it's not _that_ long of a story. Thanks," he says, and Chad gives him a thumbs up.

"So that was the Anointed," Jeff says. He's staring at the spot where Jared dusted the asshole like he expects him to pop back up at any second.

"Yep," Jared says, walking over to him. "'Will not kill him,' my ass. Prophecies talk more shit than Chad does."

"Hey!"

Jeff pulls off his glasses and wipes them on his shirt. "I trust the Master won't be very happy with this turn of events."

"Good," Jared says, crossing his arms. "I'm not very happy with ending my date in a goddamn funeral home."

"Speaking of," Jeff says, and gestures past Jared's shoulder. "He doesn't seem all that shaken up."

"So you guys have no powers, but you... help?" Jensen's asking. There's a small red gash on his forehead but apart from that he looks okay. Jared swallows and tries not to think about how many other injuries he could've gotten apart from just a cut.

"Yup," Danneel says. "Sometimes we even stab things. Usually unsuccessfully, but we're getting better!"

"Oh," Jensen says.

"And I mean, the job is not without its perks," Chad says. "You remember that substitute, Miss Hilton? Yep, almost had sex with her."

"And then she almost ripped his head off," Danneel says with a nod. Jensen raises an eyebrow. "Oh, she was like this really big praying mantis... thing. He peed his _pants_ when she attacked--"

"I did not!"

"Alright, guys, that's enough," Jared says, corner of his mouth curling up. "I think I should probably get Jensen home." He panics for a second then, because he almost got Jensen _killed_ \--he's not totally sure that Jensen's even going to want anything to do with him now. "Um. I mean, if you want me to. Chad could drive you if you'd rather--"

Jensen shakes his head, smiles a little and holds out his hand. "Come on, slayer. Walk me home."

*

Sunnydale at night can often be more active than Sunnydale during the day, but as Jared and Jensen walk together it's blissfully silent. Jared likes to imagine that all the vampires are swarming to their master right now, and the Master ticking them off one by one as he turns them to dust.

"So," Jensen starts after they've walked five minutes in silence, and Jared's grateful. It's not awkward or anything, but Jared was starting to feel slightly unnerved all the same. "Is this what you do every night?"

"Not _every_ night," Jared says. "But, yeah, most nights."

Jensen nods. "Is it just vampires, or...?"

Jared shakes his head. "Nah, pretty much anything. Slayers don't discriminate when it comes to killing bad guys."

"Oh," Jensen says. "Do you like it?"

Jared doesn't really expect the question, and he shrugs. "I don't know, I guess. I mean, it's kind of nice being chosen, being the one person in the entire world who can do it, you know?"

"Yeah." Jensen makes a noise and glances up at him. "Sounds kind of lonely to me."

"It can be," Jared says softly, and then clears his throat. "So I bet this has gotta be the weirdest date you've ever been on, huh?"

Jensen chuckles and shakes his head, and Jared's just glad he doesn't get called on the subject change. "Honestly? Yeah, it definitely is. But that's kind of cool, I guess. Something to tell the grandkids."

"Yeah, 'cause that'd be fairy tale material," Jared says, and Jensen knocks their shoulders together.

"It could be."

Jared smiles at that, glances to take Jensen in, the light of the lamppost brightening his features. Jared's honestly dumbfounded, and he feels bile at the back of his throat when he thinks that Jensen could've been dead right now because of him.

"Hey man, c'mon, don't start."

"What?"

Jensen shakes his head. "I might not've known you for that long, but I can figure out when you're beating yourself up about shit. You look the same way you did at the Bronze after your watcher left. So don't start."

"He could've killed you."

"He didn't."

"But he _could've_."

"Yeah, Jared, he could have. Just like I could get hit by a car walking across the street, or get shot by some psycho 'cause I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Jared huffs a breath. "Is this supposed to make me feel better?"

Jensen smiles, slow and wide. "No, man, it's supposed to make you carry me away and lock me in your basement for the rest of my life. I didn't think I was being subtle."

"Smartass," Jared mutters.

"And really, shouldn't I be worried about _you_? I mean, you're the one actively looking for things that want to kill you."

Jared rolls his eyes. "Kinda comes with the occupation. I can handle it."

"Yeah, you can," Jensen says. "Just like I can handle getting tossed around by a vampire. I mean, I'm hoping that's not a regular occurrence, but."

"It tends to be when people come around me. I'm not exactly a catch."

"Hey," Jensen says, his face softening. " _I_ happened to have a good time. Well, up until I wondered why my date was ditching me to hang with dead people."

"Yeah," Jared says as he kicks a rock. "Sorry about that."

Jensen shrugs his shoulders. "It's cool. I mean, come on, you put off saving the world to spend time with me. That kind of stuff flatters a guy."

Jared shakes his head. "Okay, not to press my luck or anything, but you are taking this way too well. You're not even freaked."

"Oh, believe me, I am freaked," Jensen says with a firm nod. "I am still reeling at my thin brush with death, and my _hard_ brush with the wall." He makes a pained expression and digs his palm into his forehead. "But, I don't know. Considering Sunnydale's high mortality rate, it just... fits."

Jared hisses and rubs at the back of his neck. "Um, yeah. I'm still trying to work on lowering that."

Jensen smiles, and it feels like a secret between them. Jared thinks that he's a little ridiculous for grinning wide at that, but he can't exactly help himself. "But knowing what you are makes last night make a lot more sense."

Jared's grin falters. "What about last night?"

"You walk in an hour late and then chat up some hot chick in leather?" Jensen says, and Jared cringes. For a slayer, he apparently sucks at being sneaky. Jensen raises an eyebrow. "And _then_ you say you were helping your mom. My head went places, dude."

"Oh, that's Genevieve. She's just--" Jared shrugs, because how can he explain somebody _he_ doesn't even understand? "I don't even know. An informant, I guess. But we're not, like, um. I'm very, very gay, is what I'm trying to say."

Jensen smirks. "We have that in common, then. This is me," he says, when they step up to a nice two storey house.

Jared stops. "So you and Sophia--"

"Are friends," Jensen says carefully, like he thinks Jared's a little slow on the uptake. And maybe he is. "You seriously didn't--"

Jared shakes his head. "Oh, no, definitely not. I was just... clearing the air." He clears his throat. "Nice night, huh?"

"Right," Jensen says. "Super strength and super obvious." Jared gives him the finger, and Jensen laughs. "But, yeah, it's a nice way to wrap up one hell of a first date. I'm excited to see where you take me next time. Sunnydale Cemetery, maybe?"

"I was thinking the hospital morgue," Jared says instantly, then backtracks. "Wait, next time? You haven't had your fill of crazy yet?"

Jensen smiles and leans in, and Jared leans down as blood pounds in his ears, and then they're kissing, slow and easy. Jensen's hand comes up and cups Jared's face, and Jared wraps his hand around Jensen's wrist. It's instantly addicting and Jared's falling, falling so goddamn hard. His body feels like it's on fire, his mouth burning up, and Jensen pulls back far too soon for his tastes.

"Not even close," Jensen says, and then he kisses Jared again, just one peck that melts into something longer for a brief moment before he jerks back again. He shakes his head and laughs. "Man, I've gotta get inside before my mom calls the cops on me. I'll see you at school?"

"Yeah, definitely," Jared says, still kind of breathless. He rubs his thumb across the sliver of red on Jensen's forehead. It's dry, has been since before they left the funeral home, and Jared swallows, tries to shake off the concern that's bubbling back up.

Jensen grabs his wrist and Jared's gaze jumps to his face, and Jensen smiles. "I'm fine, Jared. Really. Takes a lot more than some Anointed freak to break me."

"Just--watch yourself, okay? He threw you pretty hard."

Jensen smiles and nods, kisses him once more then, leaves him grinning as he watches Jensen walk up to his house. Stopping halfway, Jensen turns and says, "Hey, Jared?"

"Yeah?"

Jensen flashes a rueful smile. "About what I said about a second date? I'd rather we go to a movie theater."

Jared laughs and nods. "Yeah, I can handle that."


End file.
